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What pellet smoker

Talon2006

Talon2006

Yellow Skull
Joined
May 19, 2020
Member Number
282
Messages
410
Sitting here at work hungry.... what pellet smoker should I get? Read the whole smoker thread.. seems like lots have a treager or a pit boss... are some better then the others? Any new features I should look for?

should I Tig weld some stainless steel sexiness and build my own?
 
I have several friends with Traegers. My BIL just got the new insulated Traeger and it works a lot less to keep temps. This winter will be the test here in MO. Some buddies don't even run them then b/c they take so long to get to temp and burn a shit ton of pellets.
 
Traeger
green mountain grill
recteq

Seems to be tho only 3 to consider if looking for greatness. Traeger seems like you pay a bit for the name. Gmg seems like the best buy for the money. Ive had a couple buddies sell their traeger for recteq which are supposedley the best, but not sure why...

Currently looking myself. Siding on gmg but looking to hear as much as possible before pulling the trigger...
 
I switched to selling GMG grill after Treager put their grills in Home Hardware store and refused to protect the area i had built up over several years. As a side benefit we found that the GMG was a easy sell agianst Treager. The straight up sides allow for a bigger bird or shoulder to fit in the grill. With the new burn system you can do dual heat zones. The newest model now has a window on the lid and hopper. As well the added mounts for a rotisory, a folding front shelf and side shelf are standard now. They also put a light in the smoke chamber.
They where the first to do a digital controller, wifi, low level alarm, and dual meat probes. GMG also does a pretty quality of finish on the grill as far as i am concerned. Treagers always seem to burn the finish off the belly of the grill where you cant see it, but GMG don't at all.
 
What climate you live in?
I chose my Grilla Silverback due to the insulating layer of steel so as to not need a blanket for cold weather smoking. You can adjust the PID for your climate so it holds temps steady. Only pellet grill I've owned, but I love it. I don't need the fancy wifi connection to it.
 
My bro in law has a green mountain grill... it's prolly 2/3's the cost of the traeger and every bit as nice. He made some of the BEST brisket I have ever had on it and served it up with "cowboy candy" that was fawking amazing. All I got...
 
I joined a few forums for user experience right before I settled on Pit Boss. Overall, I'm pretty happy with it. It's really nice to just leave it alone with a temp alarm and do whatever else; for brisket - sleep. Buddy has a stick burner and admits the food comes out the same - but I'm a "cheater." I stir the pellets every couple hours to prevent voids, he has to tend to the fire every 30 minutes.

The bad - the temp swings get annoying, but I don't think it effects the food. The probes are also crap; mine measure 20° different from each other, both are off from a Themapen and Smoke thermometer. A few guys report paint issues after high heat; some from incorrect placement of the parts inside, but some from just shitty paint. Customer service seems ok, but have supply issues at times and you might be down for a few months if a controller dies (I would likely just buy a PID if it happened to me).

I did some research of other brands. Traeger didn't offer anything additional for the extra cost. Green Mountain seems to have rust issues in humidity (I'm in NoVA). Z Grills seemed to be about as decent as Pit Boss (both Chineseium), but I get a 10% discount at Lowes for the latter.

If I had it to do over, I would have bought a RecTec. A lot of guys will swap the RecTec controllers into the Pit Boss - bringing the total cost on par with if they just bought a RecTec in the first place.
 
Pit Boss Copperhead 5!

Mine is about 3 years old and works great! It's about the size of a oven and can cook right at 50 hamburgers at once (was a PITA actually, too much on the grill for one cook to do, glad I did it once, wont do it again). Comes with internal thermometer, and is pretty easy to control the heat. Plus it's less than 1/2 the cost of the high dollar ones.

CONS- heat at the bottom runs most accurate, top rack can vary by about 10-15 degrees lower than your settings. Must be cleaned about every 3rd use or it will start messing up.

PROS- TONS OF ROOM, heat settings are very accurate, price point. It also can stay cool enough to smoke cheese.
 
I have 2 green mountain grills, the one had been abused and left out int he rain every day for 6 years. It's just now starting to show its age. I have another 12volt portable that i take with me camping or just throw in the truck.
 
Get whatever upright electric that suits your fancy so you can use real wood chips and not processed sawdust with unknown contents.
 
Recteq. I run a Traeger, temp swings and control are absolute dogshit above the 225* setting. Even that runs on average 25* hot consistently. GMG and Yoder are two others to look at, Yoder being higher end. When this Traeger starts to fall apart I will go Recteq. Mine is a few years old now, does a good job other than cooking hot, and has held up well. Its been garage kept until this year where its stored outside with a cover on it. I do wish mine had the sear option on it.
 
I've got a Traeger Ironwood 650 with the newer controller and have zero issues with temperature control in SC at any point of the year. The wifi stuff is cool when it workds, which right now it's fine.
 
I have a pit boss and have no complaints so far. Temps stay consistent, internal probes are fairly accurate and it holds a ton of pellets so no worrying about smoking a 15lb pork shoulder and keep checking on the pellets. The only downfall is the left side is hotter than the left but sometimes this is a good thing as I need something to cook faster or I just rotate when cooking the same food.
 
i have a trager. its ok. I got it for free so i'm not compalining too much, but if i paid for it i would be disappointed. it seems as though some of the other brands are a better value for the money.
 
I’ve got a Camp Chef with the sear box on the side. It’s the non PID controller but works great for the $.

I recommend getting a pellet smoker with a PID controller or buy used and add a PID controller from Smoke Daddy.

A lot of people are going to RecTec these days but they remind me of Metalcloak in their marketing. Plus if you’re going to spend that kind of money, you could spend a few hundred more and get a Yoder. With that said, I have friends that have ReqTec’s and they love them.

In the end, the smoker doesn’t prep the food, season the food (except smoke), baste it, check when it’s done, rest it. That’s all up to the chef and is the difference between meh bbq and great bbq. I’ve made some of the best bbq on a old cheap side smoker and UDS. Buying a pellet smoker doesn’t automatically make good bbq, just can make It a bit easier.
 
I would agree with what others have said. I like my GMG. Would also buy a RecTec. I think my next grill/smoker will be a gravity-fed charcoal. The Masterbuilt ones have gotten good reviews for the money.
 
If you smoke your own meat (and build your own 4x4) you don't buy coffee pre-made at starfucks...

And yes, I'm a lazy fucker who will admit to using a robot controlled smoker. I mean, I still drink and smoke way too much while smoking, but I don't have to fuck with it constantly for 12 hours. I can get other shit done while my meat is at constant temp. Or throw a pizza in that bitch at 450.
 
We have a bare bones Traeger that we added the digital controller to and it works fine after all these years. But we got a good deal on a smaller Pit Boss that we use at home and also intend to use when we RV. The Pit Boss has all the new fangled things like controller with probe inserts. Since winter is cold I do have a blanket for the Traeger to keep temps. I think the build is better on the Pit Boss but that may be because it is new. Love pellet smoking anything even pizza. I am tempted to put a pizza oven insert in the Traeger and use the PB for everything else.
 
rattle_snake said:
If you smoke your own meat (and build your own 4x4) you don't buy coffee pre-made at starfucks...

And yes, I'm a lazy fucker who will admit to using a robot controlled smoker. I mean, I still drink and smoke way too much while smoking, but I don't have to fuck with it constantly for 12 hours. I can get other shit done while my meat is at constant temp. Or throw a pizza in that bitch at 450.
Click to expand...

Any $200 electric smoker does this exact same thing.
 
Skip the expensive “easy button” pellet and get you a 22” or 26” weber premium deluxe with gas starter.

I run coals plus wood and much deeper smoke taste than pellets; if you like smoke flavor 1/2” plus in the meat. Hell, reheating leftovers at work still smells it up.

Add the BBQ guru fan, fireboard controller, smoke and sear, and vortex accessories. I can control the temps like an oven...from my phone....anywhere I have wifi.

Only place to go after a weber is a straight offset or reverse flow stick burner.
 
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